A wicked, discompassionate girl whose method of killing other children was to massage the necks of boys and tell them they had a sore throat and she would make it all better – then her grip would tighten. In 1968, an 11 year old girl killed two little toddlers. The deaths caused bewilderment and outrage. In a caring city it was too much to see kids killing kids. Mary Bell grew up in a slum area where crime was apparent and children left to play unsupervised in Newcastle’s west end. Things changed in town after the Mary Bell case as people began to look after their children showing disturbing signs. From birth, children must have loving affection, otherwise this type of tragedy will haunt us yet again. Mary’s abusive mother, her genetic wild-card of a father, and physical damage likely incurred by the repetitive drug overdoses all contributed to her sociopathology. Her inability to bond with others in a loving manner was twisted into a bonding process based on violent aggression. Mary responded to others based on how she herself had been treated. When a mother is a source of fear for a child, some cope by developing protective mechanisms against the outside world, which, for the developing sociopath, is a constant threat. Of course, not all children raised in abusive situations become sociopaths. Genetic factors and neurological damage also play a role. If a child is subjected to all of these conditions, the forecast can be deadly.
